Polymorphism is the occurrence of several different types of individuals in a single

species during its life cycle or as members of the colony, the members perform
different functions and there is a division of labour amongst them.
Polymorphism is associated with the life
cycle of coelenterate. In monomorphic
forms, like Hydra, the polyp reproduces
both asexually and sexually, this condition
also applies to anthozoa. All the members
of the colony whether polypoids or
medusoids are formed from the coenosarc.
Most Hydrozoa exhibit dimorphism, there
is a nutritive polyp or gastrozooid which
is sessile, it has a mouth, tentacles and an
enteron cavity of food. The second
individual is a medusa which is jelly like,
saucer-shaped , with tentacles on the
margin, it is free swimming and bears
gonads. Alcyonaria have only polyps, but
they are dimorphic, a nutritive and
reproductive polyp called autozooid which
has tentacles, gonads and mesenteries, the
other polyp is a siphonozooid with no
tentacles or gonads, it only maintains a
circulation of water in the canals of the
colony.
Fig. Cnidoblast cells with nematocysts
in tentacles Polymorphism Coelenterata
Polymorphism Coelenterata

Polymorphism in Hydrozoa
Some hydrozoan colonies are trimorphic, besides the nutritive polyps and
reproductive medusa, they also have modified polyps called gonozooids or
blastostyles, often enclosed in a chitinous gonotheca, they have no mouth
or tentacles, and they produces medusa or their morphological equivalent by
budding. Siphonophora shows polymorphism which is not found in animal
kingdom. They have three polypoids and four medusoids.

Fig. Hydra viridissima

The different type of polypoids are :
1. Gastrozooids or Siphons - They are the nutritive or food ingesting
individuals of the colony.
2. Dactylozooids- These are the protective polyps of the colony and are
variously known as palpons, tasters, or feelers.
3. Gonozooids-They are reproductive zooids which are also known as
blastostyles. They are without mouth or tentacle.
The types of Medusoids are:
1. Pneumatophores- The pneumatophores or the floats are bladder or
vesticles-like structures filled with gas, and keep the colony floating.
2. Hydrophillia are leaf-like bracts or thick and gelatinous medusoids
having a canal of the enteron, they are protective and shield some zooids
of a colony
3. Nectocalcyes are bell-shaped medusiods with a velum, radial canals and
circular canal, they have no mouth, manubrium, tentacles or sense
organs. A nectocalyx is muscular and brings locomotion of the colony by
swimming
Polymorphism in Hydrozoa
 4. Gonophores occur singly or in clusters on blastostyles, they are
degenerate medusa with no mouth, tentacles or sense organs, but they
have a velum, canals and a manubrium which bears gonads. Gonophores
are dioecious and produce germ cells for reproduction.
With the origin of polymorphism, the reproductive powers of
the organisms are divided among the different zooids of the colony. In
these case the polyps reproductive asexually to give rise to medusoid forms
which reproduces sexually to form polyp. The life cycle, thus become
complicated and may be represented as polyp-medusa-egg-planula-polyp.
Therefore, the so called alternation of generation or metagenesis comes into
existence where, infact, asexual polypoid generation alternates sexual
medusoid generation.

Polymorphism in Hydrozoa